


second star to the right

by slashedsilver



Category: Big Byung (Band), GOT7, VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Crack, Fluff, Gen, Humour, M/M, Princes & Princesses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-16
Updated: 2015-01-16
Packaged: 2018-03-07 19:58:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3181244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slashedsilver/pseuds/slashedsilver
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hakyeon is a princess stuck in a tower, and Jackson is the knight who must save her -- er, him. Featuring Sanghyuk as the dragon and Sungjae as the wise sage who sends Jackson off on a wild pigeon chase.</p>
            </blockquote>





	second star to the right

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to @joonielayeol for pushing me off my butt or this would have sat as a WIP for much longer than it should. The inspiration for this struck as I was finishing up steel heart!AU -- some crack after all that angst!

"You have been entrusted an important task," Sungjae says gravely, pushing his glasses up. "See that you do not let us down. Your horse has been selected and saddled for you. It is a noble steed which has been trained to shoulder difficult times with its master." He scratches the side of his nose. "Could you pack some pickled pigeon back? I hear it's a local delicacy."

Jackson rolls his eyes and goes to pack for his long and arduous journey. If there's extra space in his backpack to fit two pickled pigeons, it's certainly not because Sungjae had _asked_ for it.

When he finally pulls up at the castle marked on his map, it's about to rain.

Jackson ties his horse to a tree and makes sure his sword is within easy reach. As the youngest ever swordsman champion of the annual tournament, he's confident with his weapon, but he sure hopes he won't need to use it. He just polished it, after all.

He inches across the suspension bridge, a shaky and dangerous contraption held up by a few choice ropes, lined with rotting wooden boards forming a sort of path. There's a lonely shoe caught in one of the boards; Jackson shudders to think of the last poor soul who was sent on this journey. He glances downwards into the rocky ravine, then hurriedly snaps his eyes heavenwards again. It would _not_ do to get queasy right now.

Fortunately, he's pretty nimble on his feet, so once he focuses on looking straight ahead, he's able to make it to the end of the bridge without much incident. It's what happens after that's slightly more cause for concern.

The bridge comes loose with a loud creak and tumbles into the ravine with a mighty crash. Jackson freezes in his tracks, feeling remarkably like he did the time he sliced off all the heads of his mother's prized azaleas when he was training in their garden. He had been five.

And then the dragon appears.

"What's all this commotion?" it demands. Its gaze falls on Jackson.

His mother had always taught him to remember his manners, so Jackson hurriedly sinks into a low bow. "Good afternoon, dragon, sir. I am Jackson of House Wang." He glances at the trail of destruction he's left behind, and winces. "Er. Sorry for destroying your house."

The dragon waves his apology away. "That's fine," it says. "We don't really use it, anyway." It peers a little more closely at Jackson. "House Wang, you say? The princess has been waiting a long time for you to show up. Sure took your time to get here."

"I stopped to pick up some pickled pigeon," Jackson explains, nonplussed.

"I didn't mean on this journey," the dragon says cryptically. "I mean in your life."

Jackson feels somewhat wronged. "I didn't know I was supposed to come here until the Sage told me, after I won the tournament." 

The dragon sighs, and Jackson has to jump to narrowly avoid the plume of fire that emits from its mouth as a result of that movement. "Humans. There's no point talking to you. All you see are your pickled pigeons." It scratches its belly. "Well, there's no point in dithering here. Head on up. The princess has been practically overcome with excitement since the news of your impending arrival."

"You knew I was coming?"

"Of course, your sage Sungjae was so very thoughtful to send a missive ahead of your arrival. We wouldn't have had time to get ready, otherwise. You're the first knight who's come here in years. We were beginning to think no one was coming."

Jackson turns back to look at the destroyed remains of the bridge and around at the ramshackle state of the castle. "It's a really... classic piece of art you've got here."

The dragon looks pleased. "Isn't it? I keep telling the princess to appreciate what we've got here, but nooo..." 

The dragon continues mumbling incomprehensibly to itself, paying no heed to Jackson, so he takes it as his cue to inch away. He bows politely and makes his way into the castle.

The stairs are on the verge of crumbling as well, old stones that have been up before the beginning of time, if legend is to be believed. But there is only one spiral staircase leading up and up, and there is only one door at the end of the staircase.

He knocks politely at the door.

"Come in," a voice calls.

Jackson takes a deep breath, suddenly overcome with nerves. He straightens his clothes, does a quick check of his breath, and pushes the door open.

When he enters the room, the first thing he notices is a slim shape next to the window. The room is small but painfully clean. A lone bed sits in a corner of the room. There's a small table with an open book on top, a bookmark half-falling out of it.

The figure peels off from the window and inches closer, all smooth movements and seductive slinking across the room. That's when he realises that the princess is not, in fact, a princess in the strictest sense of the word.

There are a lot of things he wasn't expecting about this rescue.

"You're... the princess?" It comes out strangled and the princess looks somewhat taken aback. Jackson remembers his manners and clears his throat hurriedly. "I mean -- I am Jackson of House Wang. Pleased to make your acquaintance." He bows deeply, hoping it will give him time to cover some of his shock.

When he rights himself, it's to see the other smiling bashfully at him. "I was hoping that someone would come for me, but I hadn't expected someone so -- dashing." 

"And you are..." he prompts.

The princess claps startled hands. "Oh, of course! I'm sorry, I haven't had an opportunity to practice my greeting in a long time." A deep bow. "I am Princess Hakyeon. Or I suppose you should call me Prince Hakyeon." He blushes somewhat self-consciously. "Sanghyuk -- that's my dragon, of course -- he said we'd get more suitors if I was publicised as a princess. It's all semantics, anyway." He waves a careless hand in the air.

Sanghyuk was right, of course. Jackson is still staring at the princess -- _prince_ \-- in dazed shock. So he's been sent to retrieve a prince. Why is a prince in a castle, awaiting rescue? 

At that precise moment, there is a terribly loud thunderclap that shakes the castle. Lightning flashes outside the window, and to his horror Jackson spies his horse running for cover. Some noble steed! He's never trusting Sungjae's judgment again. 

"Well you can't possibly go back in this weather," Prince Hakyeon says convincingly as the rain pours down. "Why don't you just sleep over?"

And that's how he ends up spending the night, the next night, and the night after that in the castle with Prince Hakyeon. 

Jackson initially protests at sharing the (large, incredibly comfortable) bed with the prince, but there's no other sleeping surface in the room ("I'm sorry, we weren't expecting visitors to stay over," the prince explained apologetically) and the prince refuses to let him sleep on the floor.

"But prince -- "

"Call me Hakyeon," the prince persuades, with a warm smile that makes Jackson feel wobbly.

It's not too bad, Jackson has to admit. Hakyeon is great company as torrential rains over the next few days keep them from making the return trip. They spend most of their time holed up in Hakyeon's room, reading his books, embroidering and exercising. Jackson demonstrates some of his sword fighting routines and Hakyeon is always thrilled to watch. In return, Hakyeon shyly shows Jackson some of the ballroom dancing steps he's been learning from one of the etiquette books.

"I don't really know what it's supposed to look like," he confesses, face flushed after dancing. "I kind of imagine it might go something like this."

"I think you're a natural," Jackson says, and has to cough around his suddenly dry throat. 

To keep up appearances, Hakyeon insists on wearing a nightgown to bed. "I've been doing this every night anyway, just in case a suitor decides to come when I'm already sleeping. It wouldn't do to scare him away before I have a chance to introduce myself." His nightgown is white and cuts off just above his knees. Its collar is way too big for him and slips off his shoulder when he moves too quickly. 

Jackson manfully keeps his eyes from fixing stubbornly on Hakyeon's tanned shoulder. He stretches out a hand to tug the material up. "Of course," he agrees. (He also does not look when the gown rides up when Hakyeon is sleeping. He pulls up the covers instead.)

Finally, the rain begins to abate and they start to make noise about returning.

Hakyeon is always flushed with happiness when they talk about it. "I've been here for so long," he explains. "I can't wait to see the world."

Jackson's curiosity is piqued. "How long have you been here?" 

"Since I was born," Hakyeon replies. "Well, as far as I can remember, I've always lived here."

"Doesn't it get lonely?" Jackson can't help but ask, thinking of Hakyeon living here in this run-down castle with only a dragon for company.

Hakyeon shrugs. "Well, I have Sanghyuk. He can be a nag but he means well. I'm glad I've got him." He tugs at Jackson's arm. "Tell me more about where you're from."

And Jackson tells him stories about the mountains, the fields, the kingdom, his friends. Hakyeon's eyes get brighter and brighter and Jackson feels like he can drown in them. He can't wait to bring Hakyeon to see the world.

It's a cool night when Jackson slips out of their bed and heads down for a walk. The rain has finally stopped, leaving nothing but crisp, fresh air. Hakyeon is fast asleep.

Jackson finds his way to the courtyard, which is slightly waterlogged after days of rain. He settles himself on a stone bench in a corner of the square courtyard. 

There's a small engraving in the seat of the stone bench. _One day, Hakyeonnie's prince will come_ , the crude engraving promises. Jackson's mouth breaks into a grin. He traces his fingers over it fondly, imagining a young Hakyeon sitting here day after day with a hard rock in his hand, patiently carving letters into stone to pass the time.

"Oho!" a voice booms. The dragon slinks into view and occupies half of the courtyard where Jackson is sitting. "It's Prince Jackson!"

"I'm not a prince, though," Jackson feels compelled to point out. "Just Jackson."

"The more accurate thing to say is, you're not a prince _yet_. Once you marry a princess, wouldn't that make you a prince?"

"But Hakyeon is a prince," he protests. There's a beat of silence. "Isn't he?"

The dragon stares at him with a golden eye. "Don't you know how these things work, child?"

Jackson isn't sure what to make of this. "Are you saying that I'm to -- marry -- Hakyeon?"

The dragon huffs out an irritated flame. "What are they teaching you nowadays? The only reason a deserving knight is sent on a journey to retrieve a princess is to win himself a betrothed. It's a fitting reward for the best sword fighters of the realm. Hakyeon is a prince by birth, which would make you royalty when you marry him." It peers more closely at Jackson. "You don't seem too happy."

"It's a lot to take in," Jackson says, stalling. It's not every day that someone pronounces the end of your singlehood. It's not every day that someone tells you you're about to be a prince.

"Don't play the courtesy card with me, son. Speak your mind."

Jackson thinks of Sungjae, his old childhood friend, now stuck in the castle doing stuffy royal things as wise sage. He thinks of the uncomfortable court meetings he's had to attend as champion, the hours of dry, bothersome talk rife with niceties and hidden politics. He thinks of being cooped up in a small castle with walls and unspoken rules dictating where he can or cannot go, what he can or cannot do. He's alarmed at how depressed he feels.

He blurts, "It's not something I've ever considered, you know? All my life I thought I'd end up just as a knight to the King's army. What am I going to do as Prince? I just want to ride horses and go on adventures." He kicks at the floor gloomily. "I never thought it'd end so soon."

"And what of Hakyeon?" the dragon asks softly. "Do you think you could marry him?"

"The prince -- " Jackson hesitates. "I like him well enough, but... marriage? It's not something I've thought about."

Neither of them notice a slight figure leaving the courtyard.

The next morning, when Jackson wakes, he realises the side of the bed next to him is empty. He pushes himself up and realises Hakyeon is awake and already sitting at the table. "Up so early?" he greets, sliding out of their shared bed.

"I've decided," Hakyeon announces, before he even fully approaches. "I'm not going back with you."

Jackson isn't sure he's hearing correctly. "What?"

"I said, I've decided to stay here." Hakyeon doesn't meet Jackson's eyes.

"But -- why?" Jackson stammers. "Weren't you all excited about finally being able to leave the castle?"

"I've thought about it. I want some more time to think about my future plans." Hakyeon shrugs a delicate shoulder. "What better place to do it than here?"

"But then when are you finally going to leave? And carry out those plans?" Jackson feels wrong-footed and bewildered. When did Hakyeon make all these decisions?

"I'll leave when the next knight comes along." He grins at Jackson's face. "Don't worry, I'm really popular. I get knights coming after me all the time."

Jackson is about to nod reluctantly when he remembers something. His eyes narrow. "Sanghyuk says the last knight came years ago."

Hakyeon deflates. "But now I have you to spread the news that there's someone here who needs rescuing, right?" He tries on a winning smile. 

"And I destroyed your bridge," Jackson says slowly, taking a step closer.

"That does set a damper on things," Hakyeon agrees reluctantly.

"And... I promised I'd bring you around. Don't you want to meet my friends?"

"The Seven Knights sound like fun people to be with," Hakyeon concedes. He looks down. "But... are you sure you want to go back with me? It might mean a life that's quite different from what you've known so far."

The pieces fall into place. "You'll be going to a life that's different from what you've known so far too," Jackson counters. "Why can't I do the same?"

"I don't want to sacrifice someone else's happiness for mine." Hakyeon's voice is quiet. "I've lived here all my life. What's a few more years?"

"You don't know it'll be a few more years," Jackson says, a sudden fierceness flaring in his chest. He thinks of Hakyeon alone with his books, waiting years and years for the next knight to come along. It's more troubling than he can bear. "Come with me," he says impulsively. "We'll make it work. I can't just leave you here." 

Hakyeon hesitates, clearly tempted. "But you don't... like me?"

"I like you fine," Jackson assures him hurriedly, "but marriage -- is something I haven't really considered." He's repeated it so many times it's become a mantra for him. But Hakyeon wouldn't possibly know that. 

The prince smiles regardless, easy and hopeful. "It's okay. Many marriages start with friendship anyway. That's what all the books say."

"Do they," Jackson says, almost to himself. He thinks of days spent with Hakyeon, teaching him to hold a sword. He thinks of Hakyeon teaching him to dance, hands warm on his waist. He thinks of snuggling against someone when the nights get cold, laughing and talking quietly. And Hakyeon's eyes, bright and full of excitement, focused on his.

He grins now. "All right then. Let's see where it takes us." 

Jackson holds out his hand, and Hakyeon takes it.

**Author's Note:**

> Comment here or [at Livejournal](http://slashedsilver.livejournal.com/30990.html) ♥
> 
>  
> 
> [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/slashedsilver) | [tumblr](http://slashedsilver.tumblr.com)


End file.
